s and
butter dishes, although it is not as popular for this class of
commodity as are yellow and paper birch, maple and beech. The best
grades are largely used for furniture and cabinet work, and also for
interior finish. Maine to Michigan and to Tennessee.

=14. White Birch= (_Betula populifolia_) (Gray Birch, Old Field Birch,
Aspen-leaved Birch). Small to medium-sized tree, least common of all
the birches. Short-lived, twenty to thirty feet high, grows very
rapidly. Heartwood light brown, sapwood lighter color. Wood light,
soft, close-grained, not strong, checks badly in drying, decays
quickly, not durable in contact with the soil, takes a good polish.
Used for spools, shoepegs, wood pulp, and barrel hoops. Fuel, value
not high, but burns with bright flame. Ranges from Nova Scotia and
lower St. Lawrence River, southward, mostly in the coast region to
Delaware, and westward through northern New England and New York to
southern shore of Lake Ontario.

=15. Yellow Birch= (_Betula lutea_) (Gray Birch, Silver Birch). Medium-
to large-sized tree, very common. Heartwood light reddish brown,
sapwood nearly white, close-grained, compact structure, with a satiny
luster. Wood heavy, very strong, hard, tough, susceptible of high
polish, not durable when exposed. Is similar to _Betula lenta_, and
finds a place in practically all kinds of woodenware. A large
percentage of broom handles on the market are made of this species of
wood, though nearly every other birch contributes something. It is
used for veneer plates and dishes made for pies, butter, lard, and
many other commodities. Tubs and pails are sometimes made of yellow
birch provided weight is not objectionable. The wood is twice as heavy
as some of the pines and cedars. Many small handles for such articles
as flatirons, gimlets, augers, screw drivers, chisels, varnish and
paint brushes, butcher and carving knives, etc. It is also widely used
for shipping boxes, baskets, and crates, and it is one of the
stiffest, strongest woods procurable, but on account of its excessive
weight it is sometimes discriminated against. It is excellent for
veneer boxes, and that is probably one of the most important places it
fills. Citrus fruit from northern Africa and the islands and countries
of the Mediterranean is often shipped to market in boxes made of
yellow birch from veneer cut in New England. The better grades are
also used for furniture and cabinet work, and the "burls" found on
t